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Hedgehog cake for children

This is a tried and tested recipe that is very easy to make, and kids love it!

Ingredient

Metric

Imperial

Margarine

225g

8oz

Caster sugar

225g

8oz

Self raising flour

200g

7 oz

Eggs

3

3

Baking powder

5ml

1 teaspoon

Cocoa

3 heaped tablespoons

Milk

1 tablespoon

Cream the margarine and sugar together really well. Break an egg over the mixture, add a spoonful over flour and beat in. Repeat for the other two eggs. Sieve the remaining flour, baking powder and cocoa together and fold in. Add a little milk if the mixture is too dry. Turn into the prepared basin (I use a Pyrex™ basin that is 24cm or 10" at the widest point) and bake in a moderate oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) for about one hour. Test with a warm skewer to see that the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave in the basin to cool then turn out.

Decoration

Ingredient

Metric

Imperial

Butter

100

4oz

Icing sugar, sieved

175g

6oz

Cocoa powder

30ml

1 tablespoon

Large packets of chocolate buttons

2

2

Smarties

3

3

Double cream

500ml

1 pint

Jam (Jelly)

400ml

14oz

Have the chocolate cake ready. Make the icing by beating the butter with the sieved icing sugar. Dissolve the cocoa in a tablespoon of boiling water and mix until the mixture is stiff. Cut it in half (across). First spread jam (jelly to our American cousins) inside onto the inside of both halves and then double cream that has been whisked until stiff. Spread butter icing all over the cake and lift it on to a plate or cake board. Put a little extra icing at one end and form this into a point for the 'snout'. Place chocolate buttons into the butter icing at an angle, covering all the cake except the front quarter. Make the points go in the same direction as they represent 'spines'. Mark the 'face' with a fork and put the cherry on the end, with the Smarties in position for the 'eyes'. Thanks to the Thompson family of Cambridge Thompson family of Cambridge. They are pictured here with their award winning cake made from our recipe which was raised £50 for charity. Many thanks to them for sending the picture of their beautiful cake.

How amusing - I have just been searching on the web for a chocolate hedgehog cake recipe. I made one some years ago and thought it would be fun to do one again. I came across this page and was reading the comments.... and lo and behold there was one from me, 9 years ago, which must have been when I last made the cake!

My family and I live in Cambridge in the East of England. We made 2 cakes to your Hedgehog recipe. One was then auctioned at my son's school as part of their Annual Easter Cake Competition (prizes for winners and all cakes auctioned for school funds). Our cake didn't win a prize (we won the previous year so I think it gets shared around) BUT did fetch the highest auction price £50, (about $US75) !!

So thank you for the recipe, it helped earn valuable funds for school.

Thanks for letting me know, we've had a look and think it looks great. I ought to have said that the cake tasted good too, so it's a good recipe. You may find your site getting a run of hits as we tell our family and friends about the photo, especially those in the USA who don't get to see us so often (my wife's mum, dad, aunt, uncles etc all live in the Tidewater area Virginia) and will be keen to have a look.